Straw-binder.



. PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907. H. A. HANCOCK. STRAW- 'BIN DER.

` jfarrJJiE/lancaclf No. 864,783. PATENTED SEPT. a, 1907.

H. A. HANCOCK. l 1 sTRAw BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED QGT.27,"1906. 7 SHETS SHBET 2l.

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" PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907. H. A. HANCOCK, l

ST-RAW BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED 0G12?, 1906.

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@Hoff/"cur PATENTED SEPT. s, 1907. H. A. HANCOCK., l

STRAW BINDER.

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No. 864,783. PATBNTED SEPT. 3, 1907.

ILUA. HANCOCK.

STRAW BINDER.

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No. 864,783'. PATBNTED SEPT. 3, 19.07.

H. A. HANcodK.

STRAWBINDBR. APPLIOATIOH FILED 00T.27, 1906.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

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I UNITED smilies PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. HANCOCK, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE BROWN STRAW BINDER COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

STRAW-BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept.l 3, 1907.

Application filed October 27, 1906. Serial No. 340,872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. HANCOCK, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county oi Marion and VState ol Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straw-Binders,

ol which the lollowing is a specification. v

The object ol my invention is to produce a mechanism adapted to receive a straw crop, such as Wheat, oats, barley and the like, and bind the same into bundles by means ol a binding rope formed from the straw ol the bundles, and my present invention relates more particularly to the mechanism for extracting a desired quantity ol the butt ends ol straws irom the bundle and lorming the same into a binding rope, and mechanism lor associating the opposite ends thereof in such manner that they will be held permanently in position. I

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Figure l. is a plan ol the rope forming and securing mechanism together with an ordinary packing mechanism lor delivering the straw. from the receiving table ol an ordinary harvester to said mechanism; Fig. 2 is a iront elevation of the parts shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a section, on an enlarged scale, on line 3-3 ol Fig. l;

Fig. 4 a perspective detail oi the rope iorming, twisting and tucking mechanism, Fig. 5 a vertical fragmentary detail ol the twisting and tucking mechanism; Fig. 6

a detail oi the twister and tucker with the twist `completed; Fig. 7 a detail ol the same parts shown in Fig.

6, showing an intermediate position thereof, Fig. 8 a

similar view showing the iinal tucking position ol such parts; Fig. 9 a vertical sectional detail ol the twister head, Fig. l0 a detail ol the rope forming head and straw extractor; Fig. ll4 a section of the rope forming head online ll-ll ol Fig. l2; Fig. l2 a section on line l2-l2 ol Fig. ll; Fig. 13 a section ol the extractor head online 13-13 ol Fig. 14; Fig. 14 a section on line 14-14. ol Fig. 13, Fig. l5 is a sectional detail online l5l5 oi Fig. 2; Fig. 16 a detail oi a modilied twister head, and Fig. 1|7 a plan thereol.

The cut crop is delivered in any desired manner from a suitable cutting mechanism, to a table 20 and there either retarded by arms 2l or fed forward by packer arms 22 in the usual well known manner, the said mechanism being of any desired ordinary construction and therefore needing no special description in this case. The straw is led lorward, into a revolving cradle which is composed oi a cross-arm 25 and a pair ol parallel tubular arms 2li-26, a pair ol mating semicircular lingers 27, each of which is carried by one oi a pair ol shalts 28, one ol said shalts being journaled in each ol the parallel arms 26 and extending entirely therethrough, and pl'ovided at its further end with a mutilated gear 29 adapted to mesh with a mutilated gear 30 carried by a head 3l journaled upon a shaft 32,

which shalt carries the cross-arm 25. Shaft 32 carries a gear 33 which meshes with a pinion 34 carried by a clutch member 35 journaled on the main drive shalt 36, said clutch member being adapted to be engaged by a corresponding clutch member 35/ splined upon 60 shaft 36 and shifted-by means o1' a lever 37. Lever 37 is operated by means oi link 38 and a cam 39 carried by the time shait 40. The head 3l. may be independently rotated on shaft 32 by means oi sprocket-wheel 4l carried by head 3l and connected by chain 42 with 65 a clutch member 43 journaled on a counter-shalt 44. The clutch member 43 is adapted to cooperate with a clutch member 43/ splined upon the counter shait 44 and controlled by a lever 45, link 4G and cam 4-7,u carried by the time shalt 40. Counter-shalt 44 is continu- 70 ously driven by means oi a pair of gears 48 and 49 :trom the main shalt 36.

When a suiiicient quantity ol straw has been delivered to the cradle by the packing arms 22, a lever 50 is depressed by the incoming straw in. the usual well 75 known manner, and said lever through link 5l, lever 52 and link 53 pushes against an arm 54 carried by a rock-shalt 55, which rock-shalt (see Fig. l5) carries a spring detent 56 which lies normally in the path of movement ol a swinging pawl 57 carried by an arm 58 80 on the time shalt 40. When detent 56 is withdrawn the pawl 57 is thrown by its spring 57/ into mesh with an internally toothed ring G0 journaled upon the time shalt 40, said ring being carried by a gear (il which, is continuously driven by means ol a train 62 irom the 85 main drive shalt 36. As soon as the time shalt 40 is connected with the main drive shalt, its lirst result is to swing lever 46 so as to connect head 3l with the main drive shalt, in a manner already described, and rotate the mutilated gear 30 one iourth oi a revolution in the 90 direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 and thus engage that one ol gears 29 which lies nearest the packer arms so as to swing the open iinger 27, which theretolore has lain within a slot beneath table 20, over into coperation with the closedlinger 27, within. which the 95 straw has been packed, and thus clasping the bundle between the said two fingers, the bundle being pre vented irom rotation within the fingers by means of spuds 27/ which enter the bundle radially. As soon as this has occurred a cam 65 (Fig. l) on the time shalt 100 40 operates upon an arm 66 to shift a clutch member 67 into engagement with. a clutch member gear 68. Clutch member 67 is splined upon a shalt 69 continuously rotated by sprocket chain lrom the main shalt 36 while clutch member 68 is a gear which meshes with a gear 105 7l carried by a shalt 72 connected by a universal joint 7 3 with the shalt 74 which shalt carries the rope-iorm ingl head, which will be described in detail herealter. Shaft 40 also carries a cam 75 which operates upon a link 7G to shilt a lever 77, said lever operating upon a 110 clutch member 7S so as to connect a shaft 79 with a continuously rotating sprocket 180 journaled thtreon. Shaft 79 is geared by gears 181 and 182 with a shaft 183 which carries the straw extracting head, which will be described in connection with the rope forming head. After a short period of preliminary rotation of the rope forming mechanism, shaft 40 operates through cam 39 and link 38 to connect shaft 32 with the main drive shaft and thus rotate the bundle carrying-cradle in the direction indicated by the arrows leading from shafts 28 in Fig. 3, the direction of this rotation being in a direction oppositie to the preliminary movement of the mutilated gear 30. 1n the meantime cam 47 has operated to withdraw clutch member 43 from engagement with clutch member 13 so that head 31 and mutilated gear 30 are free to rotate with the arm 25 of the bundle-carry ing cradle.

The bundle-carrying cradle is rotated approximately one and one-half revolutions and during this time the rope forming mechanism has rotated, as will be described, to form from the butts of straws extracted from the bundle, a twisted rope encircling the bundle. As soon as the bundle-carrying cradle comes to a stop, the twister head 80 is raised vertically by means of the cam 8l carried by a shaft S2. The shaft 82 lies normally at rest and is connected by sprocket chain 83 with a clutch member 84 journaled upon the main drive shaft 3G and this clutch member 84 is adapted to be engaged by clutch member 85 splined upon the main drive shaft 36 and controlled by a lever 86 operated by a link 87 and a cam 88 carried by the time shaft 40. The cam 81 operates upona slide 90 which engages a flange 80/ of the twister head. The twister head is journaled in a bracket 9l of the main frame, being vertically reciprocable through said bracket.

The twister head carries a pair of pivoted jaws 92 which are normally open, as shown in Fig. 9, and as the twister head is projected upward the jaws 92 are caused to straddle the adjacent overlapping ends of the rope 93 which has been formed around the bundle, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. Thereupon a cam 94 carried by shaft 82 operates upon a stem 95 which projects upwardly into the twister hea-d 80 and operates through links 96496 to swing the twister jaws 92 together so as to firmly embrace the two overlapping ends of the rope 93, as shown in Fig. G, whereupon cam 810, which is complementary toA cam 81, operates upon slide 90 to pull the twister head 80 downward away from the bundle, the overlapping ends of the rope being pulled with said head, and a gear 100, carried by the twister head, being brought into the plane of movement of a segment 101 carried by a vertical shaft 102 driven by gears 103 and 104 from shaft 82, the twister head being thus rotated about a vertical axis one turn, thus twisting the two ends of the rope 93 together, as shown in Fig. G. This twisting action pulls the initial end of the rope away from the bundle but, in view of the fact that the initial ends of the straws are intermingled with the other straws from the bundle, the result is merely to pull a bight of the initial end of the rope away from the bundle so that this initial end is doubled upon itself, as clearly indicated in Fig'. 6. As soon as this twisting 1r ovement has been accomplished a fmger 105 is dri'q *l axially of the bundle across the top of the twist( "-ead and into engagement with the twisted ends of the rope forcing said ends out of the twister head and upward toward the butt end of the bundle.

The finger 105 is provided at its outer end with a yoke 106 adapted to embrace the twisted ends of the rope 93 and carries a pair of spring fingers 107 which pass through slots 108 formed in the yoke. The spring fingers 107 also pass through an opening formed in a stationary guide 109 and each of the fingers carries a cam 110 whiclnwhen forced into the opening in guide 109, clamp the fingers 107 upon the twisted ends of the rope so as to hold them firmly for a short period. Finger 105 is pivoted at 111 to an operating slide 112 which is shifted by the cams113 and 113 carried by a shaft 114 driven by gears 115 and 116 from shaft 82. As soon as finger 105 has been projected in the manner already described a tucker finger' 120 is swung upward about its pivot 120/ into engagement with the twisted ends of rope 93 and across said ends upward and forward into the bundle toward the head end thereof so that the twisted ends are tucked between the encircling rope and the body of the bundle, being thus held against displacement. While this action is taking place finger 105 is retracted to normal position and the tucker 120 is then returned to normal. Tucker 120 is operated by means of the link 121 connected to a cam slide 122 operated by cams 123 and 123/ carried by shaft 124 driven by gears 125 and 126 from shaft 82.

As soon as the twisting and tucking has been completed clutch 43 is again thrown into engagement with clutch 43 so that head 31 is given another quarter revolution, thus bringing the internal teeth`130 thereof into engagement with the mutilated gear 29 which at the time lies close to the table 20, said gear carrying the linger 27 which lies over the bundle. The teeth 13() rotate the gear 29 which they engage, so as to swing the upper' finger 27 to the position shown at the right in full lines in Fig. 3, thus opening the bundle-carrying cradle.

Thereupon a cam 131 carried by the time shaft 40 operv ates upon a slide 132 to throw a lever 133, thus shifting a clutch member 134 (see dotted lilies in Fig. 1) into engagement with a clutch member 135 journaled on the main driveshaft 36. The clutch member 135 is connected by a chain 136 with an ejector wheel 137, journaled in shaft 40 and carrying a pair of cams 138 and 138, which operate upon a link 139 connected to a rock shaft 140. The rock-shaft 140 carries an ejector' arm 141 which lifts the complete and tied bundle from the cradle and ejects it from the machine in the usual u' ell known manner. The ejector finger returns immediately to normal position and pawl 57 comes into enga-gcment with the trip 56 so as to withdraw the pawl from engagement with the internal teeth 58 and thus stop the rotation of the time shaft, the several parts being then in position for a repetition of the operation already described.

The binding rope is formed from the butt ends of straw lying upon the exterior of the bundle, the head ends being allowed to remain within the bundle, and the butt'ends desired are extracted by means of the extractor carried by shaft 183. This extractor consists of a substantially circular disk 150 secured to the shaft 183 and, at one or more points, slightly flattened as at 151. .lournaled inthe disk adjacent each of the faces 151 is a rock shaft 152 which, at its outer end, carries a hookshaped linger 153, the hook end of which is adapted to be projected beyond the liattened portion 151 so as to engage the straws of the bundle. Each shaft 152 carries a finger 154 at its inner end, which linger is held by a spring 155 in engagement with a cam 156, which is held stationary in a bracket 157, the arrangement being such that the hooks 153 are automatically projected and retracted from the edge of the disk. Disk 150 is backed by a similar disk 150 rotatively adjustable thereon by screws 150, the arrangement being such that, by shilting disk 150/ on disk 150 the 'llattened portions 151 may be thrown out oi register so as to reduce the eiiective projection of hooks 153 and thus reduce the number ol straws carried to the twister. The butt ends oi the straws extracted from the bundle by the lingers 153 are delivered thereby into a notch 160 extending radially into a stationary disk 161 carried by a bracket 162, the straws passing over a guide linger 163 into said notch 160. .lournaled in the disk 161 the twister head 1.70, said twister' head having a circumferential llange 171 terminating in a long hook-like beak 172 which engages the straw in notch 160 and delivers the saine into the axial openin g 173 iormed through the twister head, said axial opening being in the exact center ot' rotation oi the head at the end adjacent the bundle and lying to one side ol said center at the further end, in order that the straws entering the head may be twisted upon each other by the rotation thereof.

The passage beneath hook 172 into opening 173 is spiral in iorm and is considerably contracted immediately adjacent the opening 173, as at 173/, in order that the straws may enter the opening 173 in a comparatively thin stream. It is necessary that the straws be held under some tension during the process of twisting and for this purpose l provide the twister head 170 with an interior chamber 174i within which I mount, upon each side of the axial opening 173, tension means, which in the present case consists of toggle levers 175 which may be urged toward the axis of the head by suitable springs 17 6, the tension of which may be adjusted by adjusting screws 177.

l claim as my invention:

1, In a machine of the class described, a bundle-forming cradle comprising a pair ol curved lingers adapted to embrace the bundle, a pair of opposed parallel shafts each cari-ying one of said lingers, means for rocking either of said shafts. and means for revolving said shafts simultzaneously about an axis intermediate said rock shafts.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundle-holding cradle and means lor rotating the same about the axis of the bundle, ot' means for extracting the butt ends of straws from the bundle during its rotation and twl mg the, same into a rope encircling the bundle, means tor engaging the overlapping ends of such rope and twisting the saine together radially of the bundle, and means for securing said twisted ends together.

3. in a machine ot the class described, the combination with a bundle-holding cradle and means for rotating the same about the axis ot the bundle, of means for extracting the butt ends of straws from the bundle during its rotation and twisting the same into a rope encircling the bundle, means for engaging the overlapping ends of such rope and twisting the same together radially of the bundle, and means for tucking said twisted ends between the encircling rope and the bundle.

'l. ln a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundle-holder and means for forming a binding rope around said bundle, of means for twisting the overlapping ends of such encircling band together radially of the bundle, and means for tucking such twisted ends into the bundle.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundlediolder and means for forming a binding rope around said bundle from the ends of straws in the bundle, of means for twisting the overlapping ends of such encircling band together radially of the bundle. and means for tucking such twisted ends into the bundle.

(i. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bund]e-receiving means and means lor forming au encircling rope about said bundle, ol' a twister head comprising jaws adapted to clasp the overlapping ends of said embracing rope, and means for rotating said head about an axis substantially radial to the bundle.

7. ln a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundle-receiving means and means for forming an encircling rope about said bundle from the ends of straws extracted from said bundle, of a twister head comprising jaws adapted to clasp the overlapping ends of said embracing rope, and means for rotating said head about an axis substantially radial to the bundle.

S. In a machine olf the class described, the combination with a bundle-receiving means and means for forming an encircling rope about said bundle, ol' a twister head comY prising jaws adapted to clasp the overlapping ends of said embracing rope, means for rotating said head about an axis substantially radial to the bundle, and means for tucking said twisted ends into the bundle.

i), ln a machine ofthe class described, the combination with a bundle-receiving means and means tor forming an encircling rope about said bundle l'rom the ends of stl ws extracted from said bundle, of :i twister head comprising jaws adapted to clasp the overlapping ends of said embracing rope, means l'or rotating said head about an axis substantially radial to the bundle. and moans for tucliing said twisted ends into the bundle.

10. ln a machine. of the class described, the combination with a bundlereceiving means and means for forming an encircling rope about said bundle. of a twister head comprising jaws adapted to clasp the overlapping ends of said embracing rope, means for rotating said head about an axis substantially radial to the bundle, a. linger movable axially of the bundle, means l'or moving iid linger axially of the bundle to shift the twisted ends of the embracing rope from the twisting jaws, a tucker linger, and means for driving said tucker linger into engagement, with the de",- ilectod twisted ends of the rope and driving the same into the bundle.

11. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundle-recciving means and means for forming an encircling rope about said bundle from the ends of straws extracted from said bundle, of a twister head comprising` jaws adapted to claspthe overlapping ends of said embracA ing rope, means for rotating said head about an axis substantially radial to the bundle, a linger movable axially ol the bundle, means for moving said linger axially of the bundle to shift the twisted ends ot the embracing rope from the twisting jaws, a tuckcr linger, and means for driving said tucker linger into engagement with the deliected twisted en'ds ol the rope and drivingl the same into the bundle.

12. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundle-recibiving means and means for forming an encircling rope about said bundle, ol a twister head comprising jaws adapted to clasp the overlapping ends of said embracingl rope, means for rotating said head about an ax's substantially radial to the bundle, a linger movable z ally of the'bundle, means l'or moving said linger axially of the bundle to Shift the twisted ends of the embracing rope from the twisting jaws, a pair of spring lingers carried b v said last-mentioned linger', and means for clasping said lingers about the twisted ends olf said rope, a tuclter linger', and means for driving said tucker linger into engagement with the dellected twisted ends of the rope and driving the same into the bundle.

13A In a machine oi the class described, the combination with a ln1ndle-receiving means and means forforming an encircling rope about said bundle from the ends of straws extracted from said bundle, ot a twister head co1nprisi11f-."a\vs adapted to clasp the overlapping ends of said embracing rope, means for rotating said head about an axis substantially radial to the bundle, a linger movable axially to the bundle, means Afor moving said linger axially of the bundle to shift the twisted ends of the embracing rope from the mentioned finger, and means l'or clasping said lingers about the twisted ends of said rope, a tricher' linger, and means for dr'iving said tucker linger into engagement with the deilected twisted ends of the rope and driving the same into the bundle.

14. ln a machine of the class described, the combination witll a bundle-holder, of a rope forming mechanism cornprising a rotary twister' head having an axial opening and a gathering linger delivering ther'eto, a r'otar'y extractor head arranged adjacent the twister head, and means carr'ied by said extractor' head for extracting one end of straws from the bundle and delivering the same to the twister head.

15. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundle-holder, ot" a r'ope forming mechanism coinprising a rotary twister head having an axial opening and a gathering finger delivering thereto, a rotary extractor head arranged adjacent the twister head, means carr'ied by said extractor head i'or extracting' one end of straws from the bundle and delivering the same to the twister' head, and tension means car'r'ied by the twister head for yieldingly embracing the straws delivered thereto.

lo'. ln a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundleholder, ot' a rope forming mechanism cornprising a rotary twister' head having an axial opening and a gathering linger delivering thereto, and tension means car'r'ied by the twister head for yieldingly embracing the straws delivered thereto.

17. In a machine ot' the class described, the combination with a bundle-holder', of a r'ope forming mechanism cornprising a rotary twister head having an axial opening and a gathering linger delivering thereto, a rotary extractor head arranged adjacent the twister head, means car'r'ied by said extractor` head for extracting one end ot straws from the bundle and delivering the same to the twister head, tension means mounted within said twister head and cons' ting of two pairs ot hinged plates arranged in opposition to each other upon opposite sides of the axial opening in the twister head, and springs for urging said plates toward the axis of the twister head.

1S. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a bundlecarricr, ot a rotary extractor head, an ex tractor hook carried by said head and adapted to engage straws in the bundle and extract the same Yfrom the bundie, and means for shifting said extractor linger' on the head. lor .the purpose set forth.

1f). In a machine of the class desci'ibed, the combination with a bundle-carrier, of a rotary extractor head, an extractor hool: carried by said head and adapted to engage straws in the bundle carrier and extract the saine i'r'orn the bundle, means for shifting said extractor finger o n the head, for the purpose set lorth, and means lfor controlling the bite of the extractor finger.

20. In a machine ol the class described, the combination with a bundle carrier and means ior rotating the sameabout the axis of the bundle, ot a rotary extractor head, an extract-or hook pivotally mounted on said head. and means for swinging' said hook upon the head during rotation thereof, for the purpose set forthA 21. In a machine ot the class described, the combination with a rotary twister' head having an axial opening and an extended gathering linger' delivering thereto, ot a rotary extractor head, an extractor' hook carried by said head, and means for' projecting and r'etl'acting said hook, lor the purpose set forth.

In a machine of the class described, the combination with a rotary twister head having an axial opening and a transverse throat leading thereto, ot a carrier plate within which said head is journaled, said plate having a throat extending inwardly t0 the twister' throat, a rotary extractor head, an extractor hook pivoted on said head, and means for' projecting and retracting said hook during the rotation of the extractor' head, whereby material gathered by the hook may be delivered to the plate throat and thence to thc twister' head throat.

In witness whereof, I, have liereuuto set my hand and seal at'lndianal'iolis, Indiana, this 3rd day of October', A. l). one thousand nine hundred and six.

H ARRY A. HANCOCK.

|`L. s.f] Witnesses Arr'rHUn M. Hoon,

'lrroMAs W. MCMnAxs. 

